England in India 2021

Pitch Evaluation

Almost the stereotypical subcontinent pitch of the 90's, the pitch was a far cry from the fantastic pitches we have seen on previous tours to India. The pitch was slow-low and offered little for the bowlers in the former half of the test. As in the case of the pitches in the olden days, this one too deteriorated as each day passed and by the end of the test had cracks, rough areas, and dust was seen flying every time the ball was bowled. Nothing for the pacers, the pitch was a spinner's paradise in the third and fourth innings, as shown by the bowling performances of the spinners of both teams. Wicked turn and bounce were procured by the bowlers which left India extraordinarily little chance of even surviving day 5 on that kind of pitch.

Indian Bowling

The Indian bowlers did the best they could, as they toiled for a good 230+ overs in the field across two days. The mainstays of the Indian attack did well, as Ashwin picked 9-207, Ishant bowled for 3-76 and Bumrah scalped 4-110. Combining them, they bowled for 16-393. On a pitch, that gave little to nothing on all 5 days for pacers, well done to Bumrah and Ishant. Ashwin bowled well in the second innings and finished up well after bowling 50+ overs in the first innings of England's Mammoth Score. The trio combined to bowl 148.4 overs between them at an average of almost 49 overs per bowler. This was a job well done. What really affected India was the bowling of the other two spinners, Washington and Shahbaz, and the number of no-balls the team bowled as a whole. The newer bowlers of the team combined to bowl figures of 4-290 in 86 overs. On a pitch that heavily assisted the spinners, the performance from the two was mediocre at best as while the mainstays created pressure, both were unable to keep it going as batsmen took their overs as a chance to lash out and score quickly. They conceded at a run rate of 3.4 throughout the match, too much for a test bowler in general. 

The Indians bowled a total of 52 extras in the match, with more than half of them to be no-balls. This allowed the pressure to fizzle out as the batsmen were getting the runs in each over, due to the sloppiness of the Indian quicks and its spinners. 

The Indians missed a trick as they went in with 3 offie’s and almost no variation in any of their bowling styles. The choice of selection was also limited, as Kuldeep Yadav, the china man bowler essentially did the same thing as a right arm off spinner. The Indians could have gone in with a third quick like Mohammad Siraj or Shardul Thakur instead of Shahbaz Nadeem, as to provide more room on a pitch like the one at Chepauk. This could be taken into consideration while selecting the team for the next match, which takes place at the same venue.

 

England Bowling

The England bowlers had definite plans for each bowler. In both innings of the test, it was one of the two spinners that did the trick while the rest played supporting roles in their conquest for India’s wickets. James Anderson once again showed his reliability as he broke the back of the middle-order in the second innings, grabbing two in an over as Rahane’s off stump was sent cartwheeling to the keeper.

Bess and Leach bowled better than their Indian counterparts Nadeem and Sundar as the variation in bowling came in handy for the English. England could have to give Stokes some more role with the ball to ease the burden off the bowlers and give them some time to rest between their spells. Jofra Archer’s pace once again helped on a day 3 pitch where he knocked the stuffing out of the top order, dismissing both the openers. The two combined to pick 11 wickets in the match and both of them proved their worth in at least 1 innings. 

The bowlers constantly put pressure on the batsmen and maintained it throughout the innings, leading to false shots and brain fade moments.

Indian Batting

The Indian batting certainly did have its moments in the sun, as veterans and newbies scored runs all around the park. What they did lack, was a batsman who could play all day and score a massive score to bring down the deficit in the 1st innings. The seasoned batsmen had to put on a show of class and discipline, but, all except one failed. Kohli and Rahane fell early, and "The Wall" 2.0 was the only one who was set. 

Along with Pant, they set on rebuilding the innings and played well, as runs came at speed while Pujara held the stand from the other end. Pujara fell to the worst ways, as a pull shot ricocheted of short leg's shoulder to be cut by Burns at mid-wicket. Pant, one who will not play the waiting game continued to strike without anyone to support him at the other end. The Indian tail as usual crumbled, but not before another Washington Sundar fifty, that lit up the day as he played the lone hand to reduce the total. 

The second innings needed more defiance from the Indian batsmen if they wished to survive on a warzone, but, having not played at home against a class opponent since 2017, they had no practice on such a pitch and all but two succumbed to the dangers of Jack Leach and James Anderson. Gill and Kohli played a one-sided war as they stroked their way to the fifties. However, it was not enough as, without any support from the other end, they also fell soon after, with England handing India its 1st defeat at home since the March of 2017.

England Batting

An important toss is winning half the game in the subcontinent and from the moment Joe Root announced that the English will bat, there were groans and jeers from the Indian supporters sitting at home. Why? Because it becomes evident fairly early that the pitch was a flat one with no demons in it, allowing the English to bat for long. They did so well, as Root struck a well-crafted and stroke-filled double century, with Sibley, Stokes, and Burns all chipping in with supportive roles to help Root reach the milestone in his 100th test. 

https://www.cancerx.co.in/IN/fundraiser/21-Siddhant-Jain